Strike gets heated at Alameda Raley's

ALAMEDA, Calif. (KGO) -- The worker's strike against Raley's supermarket has led to an arrest. Meanwhile, union employees are gathering to show their solidarity.

Things are starting to get a little tense after a communications director for the United Food and Commercial Workers union was arrested at the Nob Hill grocery store in Alameda. There was a dispute over an employee's paycheck so he went in the store to help resolve it and ended up getting arrested.

A company spokesperson for the Raley's-Nob Hill grocery chain says he was arrested for assaulting a Raley's employee.

Since Sunday, over 8,000 UFCW members have been on strike in California and Nevada. They say the Raley's-Nob Hill grocery store chain wants to take away their family retiree medical benefits as well as their Sunday and premium pay. The UFCW is made up of mostly cashiers, butchers, customer service clerks and produce workers.

"It's hard. $20 an hour is not a lot living in the Bay Area, especially when you have family. We're not asking for any more, we basically want to keep what we have. We didn't want this fight. They brought it to us, so now we're going to finish it," said Eddie Silva from UFCW Local 5.

The Raley's-Nob Hill grocery store chain responded with a statement saying, "This union is attempting to force our company out of business which will only benefit our non-union competition."

This strike is heating up. Police were also called to the Raley's in Fremont twice.

St. Sen. President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, and Assm. Richard Pan, D- Sacramento, joined the picket line in Sacramento to show their support for the union of nearly 8,000 workers.

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strike, alameda, east bay news, alan wang

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